Best time to visit Shenandoah National Park
April, October and November are the best balance at Shenandoah: mild and dry for the park (average highs 57° to 67°F), with crowds from moderate to very busy. October is busiest, with about 333,000 visitors. January is the quietest, with highs near 43°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Luray 5 E, VA USC00445096
- Lat / lon
- 38.67, -78.37
- Elevation
- 1,400 ft
- From park center
- 14.3 mi
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Aprbest | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Octbest | Novbest | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 43° | 47° | 55° | 67° | 74° | 81° | 85° | 83° | 78° | 67° | 57° | 47° | 65° |
| Low, °F | 23° | 26° | 32° | 41° | 50° | 58° | 62° | 61° | 54° | 43° | 34° | 28° | 43° |
| Precipitation, in | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 44.2 |
| Snow, in | 6.1 | 2.7 | 6.2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 18.6 |
| Daylight, h:mm | 9:45 | 10:42 | 11:50 | 13:09 | 14:14 | 14:50 | 14:36 | 13:39 | 12:23 | 11:08 | 10:02 | 9:30 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 23 | 31 | 80 | 133 | 168 | 172 | 184 | 189 | 152 | 333 | 158 | 35 | 1,659 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Busy | Busy | Moderate | Very busy | Moderate | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cool | Cool | Cool | Mild | Mild, wet | Hot | Hot | Hot | Mild, wet | Mild | Mild | Cool |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 23° | 2.9 | 6.1 | 9:45 | 23,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| February | 47° | 26° | 2.5 | 2.7 | 10:42 | 31,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| March | 55° | 32° | 3.6 | 6.2 | 11:50 | 80,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Aprilbest | 67° | 41° | 3.5 | 0.1 | 13:09 | 133,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| May | 74° | 50° | 4.2 | 0 | 14:14 | 168,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.8 | 0 | 14:50 | 172,000 | Moderate | Hot |
| July | 85° | 62° | 4.1 | 0 | 14:36 | 184,000 | Busy | Hot |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.8 | 0 | 13:39 | 189,000 | Busy | Hot |
| September | 78° | 54° | 5.4 | 0 | 12:23 | 152,000 | Moderate | Mild, wet |
| Octoberbest | 67° | 43° | 3.2 | 0.1 | 11:08 | 333,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Novemberbest | 57° | 34° | 3.2 | 0.4 | 10:02 | 158,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| December | 47° | 28° | 3.1 | 3.0 | 9:30 | 35,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| Year | 65° | 43° | 44.2 | 18.6 | 1,659,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest July, average high 85°F
- Coldest nights January, average low 23°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 1,659,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Virginia
Closures, reservations and alerts: Shenandoah National Park on nps.gov
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